Method of making loose-leaf binders



Sept. 12, 1939. s G, JOHNSQN 2,172,909

- METHOD OF MAKING LOOSE-LEAF BINDERS' Original Filed Feb. 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 35 58 48 47 55 5 gmmm Shirley 6 yo/1225011 ZW%%X Sept. 12, 1939.

s. G. JOHNSON METHOD OF MAKING LOOSE-LEAF BINDER S 2 sheets-sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 8, 1936 Patented Sept. 12, 1939 METHOD OF MAKING LOOSE-LEAF BINDERS Stanley G. Johnson, Grosse Pointe, Mich., assignor to The Burkhardt Company, a corporation of Michigan Original application February 8, 1936, Serial No. 62,885, now Patent No. 2,110,366, dated March Divided and this application Feb-- ruary 3, 1938, Serial No. 188,517

3 Claims.

This application is a division of my co-pending application for patent entitled Loose leaf binder, Serial No. 62,885, filed February 8, 1936, which issued March 8, 1938, as Patent No. 2,110,366.

The main object of this invention is to provide a novel method of making and accurately assembling light weightinexpensive split prong angle back binders with the prongs thereof in the desired alignment.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view part in cross section and part in end elevation showing a loose leaf binder which may be constructed by employing this invention.

Fig. 2 is an inside plan view of the binder with the front and back covers broken away and the loose leaf filler sheets removed; a portion of the view being shown in section to better illustrate the construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the binder locked in a closed position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view similar to Fig. 3 except that the binder is shown locked in a partly open position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view similar to Fig. 3 except that the binder is shown unlocked and in an open position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the locking device on the binder in its closed position.

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective showing the hinged angle back construction formed and assembled ready to receive the leaf lmpaling prongs and locking device.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the leaf impaling prongs secured to the formed angle back construction.

Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are views indicating the preferred method of making and forming prongs of the desired cross section and detail.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged view showing the butt end of a finished prong.

Figs. 16 and 17 are enlarged detailed views showing a finished prong secured in a formed depression of the angle back construction, Fig. 17 illustrating the novel method employed in accurately adjusting the prongs.

Referring particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the loose leaf binder disclosed herein comprises two metal angles 20 and 2| hinged together along the center of the back of the binder around a hinge pin 22. As best illustrated in Fig. 7 the upstanding legs of angles 26 and 2| are provided with end pieces 23 and 24 on angle 20, and end pieces 25 and 26 on angle 2|; the said end pieces are preferably integral with the angles 20 and 2|, however, they may be formed separate therefrom and secured thereto in any suitable manner.

It will be noted that the end pieces 23 and 25, and the end pieces 24 and 26 cooperate with each other to form end closures at the U-shaped back 33. The said pairs of end pieces also serve as a stiffening and guide means tomaintain the upstanding legs of the hinged angles in their normal position. The end closure comprising end pieces 24 and 26 are straddled by a novel antiracking locking lever as hereinafter described, the saidlocking lever being pivotally mounted on the end piece 26.

The upstanding legs of angles 20 and 2| are provided with a plurality of substantially frustoconical shaped depressions 2'! having half round apertures 28 punched through the base of the said depressions 21. The said apertures 28 are preferably arranged in the staggered relation indicated in Fig. 7 in order that left hand prongs 29 and right hand prongs 36 may be secured to angles 2|] and 2| in such a manner that opposed prongs cooperate with each other to form a ring when the binder is partially or fully closed and the extreme or outside prongs of the binder are opposite hand. When extreme prongs of the binder are opposite hand. and positioned in oppositely facing directions the punched filled sheets 3| are more readily and surely guided and maintained in stacked relationship during use of the binder in its closed, partly opened and open position.

The upstanding legs of angles 20 and 2| of the metal angle back are also provided with apertures 32 through which the U-shaped back 33 is secured to the said angle back as hereinafter described. Each upstanding leg of angles 20 and El is bent outward at its upper edge to provide a longitudinally disposed outstanding strip 34 by means of which a neat abutment is made between the metal angle back and the flexible joint securing the front and back covers 35 and 36 respectively to the U-shaped back 33.

The hinge leg of the angle 2| is provided with an inwardly disposed tab 31 used to retain the spring 38 of the locking device in its proper position. An aperture 39 through the end piece 26 of the angle 2| is suitably disposed to receive a rivet 40 which secures the locking lever 4| in pivotal relationship to the end piece 26 Referring now particularly to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 6, the novel locking device comprises a locking lever 4| having a locking finger 42, an operating key 43 and an inverted U-shaped central portion 44 through which the rivet 40 secures the said locking lever 4| in pivotal relationship to the end piece 26. The centralportion 44 of the said locking lever 4| bridges over or straddles the end piece 26 in such a manner that the spring 38 coiled around the rivet 49 maintains the locking finger 42 of the said locking lever in sufficient spaced relationship to the end piece 26 as to permit the end piece 24 to rotate between the said finger 42 and the end piece 26 when the binder is being opened and closed. The spring 38 coiled around the rivet 40 has one end retained in a fixed position against the hinge leg of angle 2| between the inwardly disposed tab 31 thereof and the end piece 26 thereof, while the other end of the spring 38 constantly urges the locking lever 4| to rotate toward its locked position by means of the constant pressure exerted on the bottom of the horizontally disposed operating key 43 of thesaid lockinglever 4|. A suitably disposed ratchet type detent 45 secured to the angle 20 or end piece 24 is engaged by the locking finger 42 as the binder is closed from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the positions shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 3. When closing the binder the locking finger 42 of the locking lever 4| acts as a pawl or click riding over the ratchet type detent 45. Any number of ratchet teeth may be used in the detent 45 in order to provide a like number of partially opened positions of the binder.

The cover assembly comprising front and back covers 35 and 36 respectively and the U-shaped back 33 are secured in the proper relationship to the metal angle back by means of rivets 45 punched through the said U-shaped back into registry with apertures 32 in the upstanding legs of angles 20 and 2|. The top and bottom sides of the U-shaped back 33 are each provided with a punched binder board filler strip 47 and a securing strip 48 preferably of pressed fibre board. The filler strip 41 has suitably spaced apertures 49 therein to receive the protuberances on the outside of the upstanding leg of the angles 20 and 2| and the head 58 formed on the butt end of the'leaf impaling prongs 29 and 30, there by permitting the filler strip 41 and the securing strip 48 to be secured to the said metal angle back in parallel relationship thereto as best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The center of the U-shaped back 33 is preferably notched on the inside thereof as indicated by the numeral 50in the drawings to permit sharp central concaved flexing of the said U-shaped back as best shown in Figs.4 and 5.

In the manufacture of loose leaf binders having half round opposed leaf impaling prongs which cooperate with each other to form a ring when the binder is partially or fully closed, the difficulty of adjusting the opposed prongs into a position of accurate cooperation with each other has caused great expense in the manufacture. A material lessening of cost of parts and the percentage of rejects in the manufacture and assembly of loose leaf binders of the split prong type has been accomplished by the herein disclosed structure and method of manufacture of prongs and angle backs and the assembly of the prongs into the angle backs followed by a final adjustment of the position of the entire prong in respect to the angle back after assembly.

In the angle back, as hereinbefore described, the upstanding legs of the angles 20 and 2| are provided with a plurality of substantially frustoconical shaped depressions 21 having half round apertures 28 punched through the base of the said depressions 21. Referring to Figs. 16 and 17 it will be noted that in forming the frusto-conical depressions that the metal at the periphery thereof has been drawn thinner than the metal at the base of the depression 21 and thinner than the metal of the angle back 2|. After the prongs 29 and 30 are secured to the base of the depressions their position in relation to the surface of the upstanding legs of angles 20 and 2| may be adjusted by gripping the prongs 29 and 3|] near the shoulders 56 at the butt end thereof and changing the plane of the base of the frustoconical depressions 27, an example of said adjustment being best illustrated by the dot and dash lines 59 in Fig. 17.

It is essential that a pliable accurate prong is provided inasmuch as the aforementioned adjustment of the position of the prongs in relation to the surface of the upstanding legs of angles 20 and 2| is not the only adjustment required after assembly to assure the perfect registry of opposed prongs; in many cases the prongs per se must also be bent. It is impossible to mill the prongs fiat from an upset round wire without leaving an undesirable fillet between the flat surface and upset head thereof. Die castings do not lend themselves to pliability. Also, milled and die cast prongs have been found to be from four to six times as expensive as the making of half round arcuate prongs by the method herein disclosed.

Referring now to Figs. 9 to 15 inclusive, round wire stock 5| is either rolled or extruded into stock of the desired cross section which, in the embodiment of the invention disclosed, is substantially half round as indicated by the numeral 52 in Fig. 9. The stock is then cut into blanks 53 of the proper length as shown in Fig. 10.

The blanks 53 are then inserted into a holding die 54 while a female shouldering and heading die 55 is brought against the end of the blank 53 protruding from the holding die 54 to form a shoulder 56 and a concaved butt 5'! as indicated in the drawings. The concaved butt 5'! is preferred to the usual fiat butt inasmuch as it aids in forming a symmetrical prong securing head 58 without excessive heat when the prongs are secured by means of resistance welding. When upsetting the concaved butt 51 into a prong securing head 58 as in a riveting operation, it has been found that the use of a concaved butt 5'| materially aids in providing tightly secured prongs.

The preferred method of manufacture of prongs and assembly into hinged angle back metals disclosed herein and the two adjustments of the position of prongs after assembly provides an improved method of inexpensive quantity production of split prong loose leaf binders with opposed leaf engaging prongs in accurate relation to each other.

The frusto-conical shaped depressions provide an essential function of adjustability of prongs in relation to the angle back and at the same time remove the shoulders at the base of the prongs from interference with the punched filler sheets. The locking device is of a novel character which minimizes racking and distortion when opening and closing the binder, the minimizing of distortion of the parts of the binder being essential to long life and maintenance of the opposed leaf-impaling prongs in operating relationship to each other for accurately guiding and engaging filler sheets.

Although but one particular application of this method has been shown and described, it will be understood that numerous variations of the method may be had, and that numerous changes including the size, shape, arrangement and details of the various parts of the binder manufactured by the said method may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and it is not intended to limit the scope thereof other than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of manufacturing a hinged angle back split prong loose leaf binder having opposed leaf impaling prongs adapted to register with each other when the binder is partially or fully closed comprising drawing opposed frustoconical depressions into the upstanding legs of the angles of the hinged angle back, the metal at the periphery of the said depressions being drawn thinner than the metal at the base thereof and thinner than the metal of the said angles of the angle back, riveting shouldered leaf impaling prongs to the metal at the base of the said depressions with the shoulders of the said prongs in contact with the said base of depressions whereby any change in the plane of the base of the said depressions will alter the direction of projection of said prongs, and then adjusting the opposed leaf impaling prongs into accurate cooperation with each other by changing the angle of the plane of the metal at the base of the said depressions with respect to the plane of the metal in the upstanding leg of the said angle around the said depressions.

2. The method of manufacturing a hinged angle back split prong loose leaf binder having opposed leaf impaling prongs adapted toregister with each other when the binder is partially or fully closed comprising drawing opposed frustoconical depressions into the upstanding legs of the angles of the hinged angle back, the metal at the periphery of the said depressions being drawn thinner than the metal at the base thereof and thinner than the metal of the said angles of the angle back, riveting shouldered leaf impaling prongs to the metal at the base of the said depressions with the shoulders of said prongs in contact with said base of said depressions whereby any change in the plane of the base of said depressions will alter the direction of projection of said prongs, and then adjusting the direction of projection of the said prongs in relation to the surface of the upstanding legs of the angles of the angle back by changing the angle of the plane of the metal at the base of the said depressions with respect to the plane of the metal in the upstanding leg of the said angle around the said depressions whereby accurate cooperation of opposed leaf impaling prongs is accomplished.

3. The method of manufacturing a hinged angle back split prong loose leaf binder having opposed leaf impaling prongs adapted to register with each other when the binder is partially or fully closed comprising drawing opposed frustoconical depressions into the upstanding legs of the angles of the hinged angle back, the metal at the periphery of the said depressions being drawn thinner than the metal at the base thereof and thinner than the metal of the said angles of the angle back, riveting shouldered leaf impaling prongs to the metal at the base of the said depressions with the shoulders of said prongs in contact with said base of said depressions whereby any change in the plane of the base of said depressions will alter the direction of projection of said prongs, and then adjusting the opposed leaf impaling prongs into accurate cooperation with each other by changing the angle of the plane of the metal at the base of the said depressions with respect to the plane of the metal in the upstanding leg of the said angle around the said depressions and. by bending the prongs per se, as may be required. I

STANLEY G. JOHNSON, 

